Idle Thoughts
by Tubbie
Summary: Does a mind wander, or does it have a destination?
1. Chapter 1

She awoke in the stillness of her quarters. Slowly she was aware of the slight humming of the ship's engines, a quiet humming, that was familiar and comforting. T'Pol realized her room was empty. As the room was Spartan in design, empty was not the word to describe this feeling. She began to sit up and stopped short laying proped up upon one arm. Something was missing.  
  
Or was she missing something? Currently in a earth ship, on a mission into the expanse. A mission once completed she would return home. Home. Where was that? Vulcan ? After her non-approved departure, what would await her there? And did she desire to return there ? She had gotten used to the crew. The behavior and idiosyncrasies of the humans aboard were fascinating. Life upon a star ship was a great learning experience. It was unpredictable and often very chaotic. It challenged her to think on her feet. A human expression she found fit. To blend with the natives, you needed to think and understand things the way they do. To live, learn, and throughly imerse oneself in another culture, was the way of understanding them and learning more about your own culture. To see it with fresh eyes. Another earth "saying". Home. What was the human's axiom about home? Home is where the heart is. Not something, but someone was missing. And she realized who. She had just seen him 5.75 hours ago, and would see him next shift. Could that be what had woke her up? This part of space had taken a toll upon her being. Non-logical streams of thought were just part of this experience. Not wanting to dwell upon this odd thought, and the exponential questions that would follow, she let the rhythmic hum of the engines lull her back to sleep.  
  
Maybe, after this voyage was complete, she could seek a position with Earth explorers.  
  
Trip looked out the viewport at the stars. So much to wonder about. Some stars hosted planets with warmth and energy. Numerous planets containing unique wonders unto themselves. The possible life forms each world could harbor, just as marvelous.  
  
And at the same time this view was a reminder of how huge, impersonal and cold the universe could be. He was far from home. Or was he? Earth was the place of his birth, and most of his family life had been there. But now so much had changed. Really where was home? Was it here on the ship? He liked the work. Hell, he enjoyed being in his engine room. He had a few friends aboard. He was most comfortable with his captain. No, that was true before this expanse. His bond with his best friend, like the earth being home, had changed. Both seemed very distant to him now. The planet he called home was now scarred and forever transformed. So was his captain. Trip could feel the change in his friend. Jon's mood was dark and the responsibility he carried now crushed down upon his command. He sighed as the past few month flashed through his mind. Home, Home is where the heart is. A smile crossed his lips as he mused about who he was most at home with. He knew she felt the same.  
  
She would never verbalize it, but he knew, she knew. And that was enough for right now. Some things change and sometimes some things change a lot. 


	2. Chapter 2

Hoshi wonders how long she could keep the pace she had set for herself.

Endless translations, trying to diciper multiple languages, and unravel enough information to defuse a bomb that will end all of mankind.

By noon Friday.

Of last week.

There was just no time.

There was no time to breath.

Swimming. If you could hold on that bit more before coming up for air. That edge had got her top medals in competitions.

And it worked, like back in school and then at the academy, so much to accomplish in such lithe time,

Just hold life's breath a moment, here a moment there.

She did and the proof was her position at this point in her life.

Her place on Enterprise was due to endless pushing the envelope in her life path that lead her here.

These aliens picked the wrong captain and crew to throw a gauntlet down on.

And the wrong women to throw a time consuming task at. Breath.

Hoshi is on her way to the war room to work on an encrypted message.

Concentrating on her PADD, tunnel visited to the task at hand, she suddenly stops.

Confused as to what has made her halt, she takes in her surroundings. At this hour the decks are mostly empty.

Seeing no one about, and nothing out of place she shrugs it off, and starts to walk again. Only to immediately stop. And listen.

Faintly she can make out a voice, or voices?. The content of the sound was different.

Utterances she didn't hear every day. Specifically the language. Vulcan.

Other than T'Pol , she wasn't aware anyone else on board knew this dialect.

Recalling never hearing T'Pol speak to herself, begged the question who was the other speaker? And what were they talking about?

No, that would be eavesdropping. Well, eavesdropping if she could figure out what was being said.

Vulcans were a bit uptight about using their words with non Vulcans.

They seemed to prefer to use the native speech of the people they were dealing with over their own tongue.

Would T'Pol teach someone her language ? Who would need, or want to know Vulcan ?

Glancing at her PADD, she had to let this mystery keep. Heading off once again to the war room.

Breath.


End file.
